County football coaches fire up the fan base at Preview Night

| August 7, 2024

A couple of coaches in their first years with their teams, Giovanni Ionno of Tuscarawas Central Catholic and Buddy White of Claymont, sit with Dover Head Coach Dan Ifft, entering his 30th season. (Photos by Denny Trimmer)

by ROGER METZGER
contributor

DOVER – The second Tuscarawas County High School Football Preview Night presented by the Tuscarawas County Sports Hall of Fame took place before a sold-out crowd at the Tuscarawas County Senior Center in Dover Tuesday night.

It was a one-stop shop for area high school football fanatics as the current gridiron coaches shed light on their 2024 teams.

But it was also a time of food, fellowship and football as former area coaches and fans reminisced during the evening.

Longtime Tuscarawas County head coaches Dan Ifft (Dover), Jason Wallick (Garaway), and Matt Lancaster (Indian Valley) headlined the event as each has produced outstanding programs with longstanding traditions of winning.

Mike Johnson (New Philadelphia) begins his fourth season at the Quaker helm and plans to build upon last year’s solid season, while veteran coach Dirk Gadd (Newcomerstown) looks to duplicate the success of the 2023 team that produced an excellent campaign and is trying to re-establish a winning tradition.

Returning for his second season is Jimm Morris (Strasburg), who led the Tigers once earlier in his coaching career.

Finally, first year coaches Buddy White (Claymont), Jeremy Taylor (Tuscarawas Valley) and Giovanni Ionno (Tuscarawas Central Catholic are looking to get their programs back on track.

Here are the highlights of what each had to say about their upcoming campaigns:

IFFT – “Our kids are going to fight hard. We have some good linemen and good speed. We’ve got our QB back, our kicker back and some little gnats on defense. We’re excited for the season. We open with Green which will be a challenge for us.”

WALLICK – “We have a lot of kids to replace from last year’s final four team, but expectations haven’t changed, the standard hasn’t changed, and the culture hasn’t changed. We have 66 kids on our varsity roster and 66 kids who have been working their tails off. We’re very excited about this upcoming year.”

LANCASTER – “We’re excited about our offensive line as we return four of six from last year. We return Grady Kinsey at running back. He had very good freshman and sophomore seasons and we’re excited to see what he can do as a junior. We’re going to be young, but these young guys have put the work, and we’re excited to get the season started.”

JOHNSON – “We have 12 returning lettermen and a lot of them went both ways. They’re spirited and fun to be around. We have a great senior class, a junior class that played as sophomores and sophomores looking to chip in. We’re excited about this group and we’re excited for this season.”

GADD – “We’ve come a long way in the strength department. When I became the head coach here (this is Gadd’s eighth season) we had one athlete that could bench 225 pounds. This season, every single starter we put on the field can do that. That’s a big part of the success we’ve been having. We return 15 lettermen and 11 seniors we will be counting on for leadership.”

WHITE – “I’m very excited to be back at Claymont (a 1975 graduate). We have some good kids who are working hard. How good are we going to be? I have no idea, but in know we have talent and speed. How will we react to adversity? Will they stick with the program and slug through it?”

MORRIS – “We’re a young team, but we have some playing experience. Last year, six of nine county coaches made the playoffs. This year, I hope there’s more and I hope we’re one of them. I’d like to feel that energy that those six playoff teams felt.”

TAYLOR – “I’m excited about this opportunity at Tusky Valley (he recently served as defensive coordinator at Malvern). I’ve inherited a solid program that had a taste of success last season. We have a great offensive line, but question marks at the skill positions. But do have some kids with potential.”

IONNO – “We want our football players to be leaders in our community and bring football tradition back to Central Catholic. I played at Central Catholic (Back in the early 2000s) and I’m looking forward to that the future has at Central.”